Heretofore, lithium rechargeable cells utilizing a lithium anode, employed a solution of a lithium salt such as LiAsF.sub.6 in pure organic solvents or mixed organic solvents such as a mixture of 2 methyl tetrahydrofuran and tetrahydrofuran as the electrolyte and a lithium intercalating cathode. The difficulty with these cells were their poor low temperature behavior and their low rate capability.